He rejects the irrational laws of the gods in favor the rational laws of man:. CREON [ Did they forsooth award him special grace, And as some benefactor bury him, Who came to fire their hallowed sanctuaries, To sack their shrines, to desolate their land, And scout their ordinances? Or perchance The gods bestow their favors on the bad.
I have long noted malcontents Who wagged their heads, and kicked against the yoke, Misliking these my orders, and my rule. Of evils current upon earth The worst is money. Money 'tis that sacks Cities, and drives men forth from hearth and home; Warps and seduces native innocence, And breeds a habit of dishonesty. It's interesting that the cool reason that seemed like such a good thing in Oedipus the King now causes his downfall. Hmm, we detect the distinct scent of Sophocles' favorite dish: tragic irony.
One of the things that sets great tragedy apart from mere melodrama is that all the characters ultimately have good intentions. The plays become tragically ironic when these good intentions bring misery and horror for all. Though, it's easy to pigeonhole Creon as a big mean man, persecuting his brave, innocent niece, it's just not that simple. In great tragedy, there are antagonists like Creon but there are rarely villains. The first thing Creon does in Antigone is declare a harsh but understandable law.
He proclaims that while the body of Eteocles will be buried with dignity, the corpse of Polyneices will be left to rot on the field of battle. Anyone who attempts to honor Polyneices's body with burial will be sentenced to death. Sure, it's not the nicest law, but think about this: Polyneices is a traitor. He allied with other city-states and attacked his hometown. He nearly brought on the whole sale destruction of Thebes:. Of course, Polyneices only led this attack because his brother Eteocles refused to share the throne as they had agreed.
Still, many Thebans have lost fathers, brothers, and sons, because of Polyneices's assault. In the parados the Chorus expresses anger at Polyneices and joy over his defeat, showing that the people of Thebes are none too pleased with his actions.
The people, represented by the Chorus, seem to support Creon's decree. Here's a hypothetical, similar to the one we pose in Antigone's "Character Analysis" : what would happen today if one of America's top generals allied himself with terrorists and led an attack on the U. Open Access Content. Contact us. Sales contacts.
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Mission Statement. Creon is tyrannical, selfish, and stubborn in the ways that he commits double blasphemy by letting Polynices body decompose unburied and cruelly entombing Antigone alive. As a king, Creon is inarguably tyrannical. Ruthless power to do and say whatever pleases them.
In addition, Creon refuses to submit to reason. As a father, Creon is undeniably selfish. Creon is well aware of the fact that Haemon is in love with Antigone, and yearns to marry her. Yet, he still sends Antigone to a cave and entombs her to death, which is unquestionably a cruel and painful way for her to die.
In a sense, Creon encouraged his son to kill himself because he told him to give up loving Antigone while she is alive. The death of Haemon was only expected. He fails to consider the well-being of anyone other than himself and his reputation as a ruler.
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